Hip Displaysia ?'s?

Question

Sirius is a year old. From the time we brought him home at four weeks, he has had hip problems. My husband bought him for my birthday and when we noticed it, he offered to take him back and get me another dog. I declined.

From the time he has been 3 months old, he sometimes is in such pain that he collapses and refuses to move for hours. The Vet said that he will do some more X-rays on him and that for now I need to be thinking about surgery or the possibility of putting him to sleep when he gets a few years older.

To me, this is an extreme measure, and an expensive one.

He is a Labrador, and weighs around 63 pounds.

Anyone know of anything to ease his pain and make his life a little more comfortable?

Thanks

Answer 1

Surgery is really the best thing for him - Not cheap though!

You can also give him baby asprin to ease the pain a little bit.

Answer 2

For Sirius to have hip dysplasia at such a young age is unusual but never-the-less unfortunate. And for him to collapse and not move for hours means that his condition is very severe.

What is also unfortunate is that surgery would not be a guaranteed cure but, needless to say, a very expensive procedure. I'm sure your vet would love to perform the surgery $$$. Follow up treatments would probably be required as would medications that Sirius would need for an undetermined amount of time. I would never put cost above helping my pet to heal, but if their suffering cannot and will not ever be relieved, then important considerations benefiting the pet need to be made.

Apparently you love your dog very much, or you would have sent Sirius back in exchange for another.
But realistically, Sirius is suffering and will continue to suffer the rest of his life. If you truly love him you will end his pain and suffering as soon as possible.
And I know this will be a very difficult thing to do, but it is in Sirius' best interest.
I hope that whatever choice you make will be the best thing for Sirius.

Answer 3

I assume that your veterinarian has been trying products like Cosequin, Rimadyl and other such arthritis treatment. That being said, because his hip problems are so severe, the medications are only going to work so well for so long. You can try to add acupuntcure but again, that's not going to help for very long.

In cases like this I would highly recommend talking to an orthopedic surgeon. He's clearly in significant pain, and it's not going to get better over time. Hip dysplasia is not something a dog will grow out of, it's something that get's worse over time.

This may not be what you want to hear, but your veterinarian is correct. Ask for a reference to an othropedic surgeon and make an appointment for a consultation. Follow their advice. I've known a couple of cases that were similar to this and had hip replacement surgery. Once the puppies recovered (and these were close to his age) from the surgery, they were able to run and play like a normal dog. It's expensive, but not extreme in his case. It's a quality of life issue for Sirius

Answer 4

This is going to get progressively worse. Labs are one of the breeds most known for this. You should have bought from a reputable breeder as they have their pups cleared for this before sale. The vet takes xrays and sends them away to a certified board who examines them and rates. ex.clear, excellent,verygood etc. There is nothing you can do to cure it. Your vet may be able to give something for pain but if your dog is displaying symptoms of this magnitude already it is not going to get very old before you will have to put it to sleep. It would be extremely cruel not to. I'm very sorry. It is an awful hard thing I know. Chalk it up to experience and never buy except from the best. Another prime example of why most every dog should never be bred to begin with.And why are you worrying about expense. You wanted a dog. A dog is a big expense and it is your responsibility to make sure it has any care it needs. That is what you took on when you got the dog.

Answer 5

Before you commit to surgery with your regular local vet, you might want to do a little "comparison shopping" for such a "big ticket item". There is a HUGE difference in what vets in different parts of the country charge for their services, depending on the local economy, rental expenses, etc. If you are in a large metropolitan area, for instance, you might do a lot better with a vet in a rural practice. Of course you need to find a vet with lots of experience with this type of orthopedic surgery, but you might save hundreds or thousands of dollars by looking into prices in other areas.

I just heard on the radio that many Americans are now going to other countries to have surgeries, etc. done that they can't afford to get done here. It is a new kind of "outsourcing". I wonder if there are veterinary clinics offshore where we could take pets for otherwise prohibitively expensive surgery? (Preferably with no quarantine required!)

Answer 6

I would wait to see what the Xrays show. The Xrays will show if this is something that can be corrected by surgery or not.

Watch his weight and try to keep him slim and not get heavy that would increase the pain. Your Vet can also give him some Remedial that helps with inflammation and pain. This drug is commonly used for hip dysplasia.

Do not give him any over the counter drugs from the store,

Answer 7

first thing you should do is run to a new vet...hip dysplasia surgery is extremely succesful especially in younger dogs...why would you discuss putting him to sleep. They can do full hip replacements and probably help your pup to have a long and healthy life. Check the hip dysplasia boards on Yahoo, they were very helpful to me when I went through this with my lab...those people can answer any question. Please make sure you are doing the BEST for your dog...you owe him that much.

And NO this isn't going to be cheap...but would you put your kid to sleep? Why would you accept a creature into your home knowing full well you wouldn't do the best things for it.

In any event, he should probably be on Rimadyl (closely watched for signs of liver ailment).

Answer 8

You could try giving him glucosomine or hip and joint pills OTC for humans. That is way to young for this problem to be displaysia, maybe you should seek a second opinion? There are lots of vets out there! Good Luck and sorry for the problems your lab is having.

Answer 9

If this poor dog had problems when he was that young, his dysplasia is severe and extreme measures are the only ones that could possibly help him. You could try a holistic vet, they can do some amazing things with acupuncture, but I don't think they can do much for this dog - worth a try though.

Answer 10

I know that you can give an older dog with joint pain "glucosamine&chondroitin sulfate". It helps with the pain by lubracating the joints.I have terrible knee pain &I use it regulary.It helps a lot. My daughter's King Shepherd (13 yrs old ) used it for two years & ih made him act like a pup again. This isn't a cure but it will help with your baby's pain until you have to opperate..Good luck